meltdown

a.k.a. a network meltdown

Taking its name from the catastrophic failure of a nuclear reactor, it is an event that causes the shutdown of a network. It usually results from illegal or misrouted packets that force multiple hosts to respond at once, thereby shutting it down. A meltdown typically lasts only a short time. It is the network equivalent of "thrashing" (as in "to tear up a room") and may be induced by a Chernobyl packet.

NetLingo Classification: Online Jargon

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